WordPress

By WordPress.org Free Editors' Rating

Editors' Review

Download.com Staff Nov 7, 2008

Originally intended for blogging, but customizable into just about any configuration, WordPress is the Firefox of content management systems. Extensible and proud of it, the program itself is known for having one of the simplest installations of any content management system.

The ZIP file comes with instructions on how to install WordPress on to your server. You must use an FTP client, and obviously you must have administrator-level rights to your server first. The software bills itself as having a world-famous 5-minute installation process, and assuming nothing goes wrong that's probably not far from the truth. Documentation at their Web site is extensive, clear, and concise.

There is an installation-free version available at WordPress.com, where bloggers who want the feel but not the responsibility of managing their CMS can register and blog at will. If you're willing to take on a bit more of a challenge, the WordPress support forums haven't failed us yet in answering even our most difficult questions.

Without a doubt, the ease with which users can install updates and incorporate plug-ins are the best tool that WordPress provides. The extension library is impressively deep, and can be used for such large-scale changes as turning your blog into a photo gallery or online store, or something as basic as changing your theme, or configuring regular database backups. WordPress is highly recommended for those who want a hands-on approach to their blogging and content managing software, but it's not for beginners.

Full Specifications

What's new in version 2.6

Version 2.6 adds several new user and developer features, including the display of captions alongside images in posts and pages, sorting of galleries, the Press This bookmarklet, a theme previewer, and better version/revision features.

General

Release November 7, 2008
Date Added July 23, 2008
Version 2.6

Operating Systems

Operating Systems Windows 95, Windows Vista, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows, Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 3.x
Additional Requirements Windows, PHP 4.1, MySQL 3.23.23

Popularity

Total Downloads 7,288
Downloads Last Week 1
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Developer's Description

WordPress is a personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, Web standards, and usability. WordPress was born out of a desire for an elegant, well-structured personal publishing system built on PHP and MySQL and licensed under the GPL. It is the official successor of b2/cafelog. WordPress is fresh software, but its roots and development go back to 2001. It is a mature and stable product. We hope by focusing on user experience and web standards we can create a tool different from anything else out there.

Version 2.6 adds several new user and developer features, including the display of captions alongside images in posts and pages, sorting of galleries, the Press This bookmarklet, a theme previewer, and better version/revision features.

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